Thomas Peters

“Although there is a melancholic thread binding the pieces together, the work is, in an intriguing manner, healing and comforting. It allows the mind to relax, to let go of the emotions for a period of time and to be Mindful, which when taking the traditional element of this continuous style of music one step further, was the underpinning purpose of Chants beloved of Monks and many other Religions, as they sought a higher meaning, to be at one with the moment in time, to build a sense of peace and hope.” - Janet Mawdesley

“Throughout most of the film, and especially during the more dialogic parts of Joan’s trial (derived, Dreyer’s introduction tells us, from the actual Medieval transcripts), the music has the quality of a deep, steady heartbeat – providing a vital reminder that the protagonist’s chief concern is not to defend her body against her implacable accusers, but to protect her faith and her spiritual lifeline to her “Father” against the frailties of that very same body, which, she fears, might cause her to perjure her soul (by “confessing” to crimes she knows she has not committed) when subjected to physical duress. When she finally does ratify this grim expectation by signing the Churchmen’s prepared statement, the live strings go dead, replaced by recorded metallic beats which sound like all of the gates of Heaven clinking shut in Joan’s tortured face. It comes as a very strange kind of relief, then, when Joan finds the courage to recant her confession and go to the stake, accompanied by the tragic, but defiantly ali” - David Fiore